ALAN Watters from Stoke marked his 50th marathon in New York recently by raising more than £1,000 for Whizz Kidz - a charity which buys wheelchairs for children with mobility problems.

The 53-year-old, who works for the DLO in Andover, limped eight miles to the finish line after an injury at 18 miles. The problem left him 37 minutes outside his target time of four hours.

Mr Watters, who ran in Whizz Kidz bunny ears, said: "Unfortunately I didn't make it in under four hours, but despite the injury I was determined to carry on for the children. It's such a good cause.

"The atmosphere was amazing and the crowds shouting my name spurred me on to the end."

This was his third New York marathon - a decade after his first attempt.